Residence permit to take part in a student exchange or to attend school at the location LEA, Keplerstr.

Information on the address of this location

The postal address differs from the address of the location.
Therefore, please always send letters to:
Landesamt für Einwanderung, Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24, 13353 Berlin.

Additional information

• Fee payments are also possible by credit card (VISA, Mastercard) and contactless via smartwatch or smartphone.
• Photo booth available on the ground floor. Photos cost 5 euros. Please pay cash with coins or 5-euro notes (no change or card payments accepted at the photo booth).

Payment options

• girocard (with PIN)

A temporary residence permit may be issued for school attendance or for participation in a pupil exchange.
As a rule, a temporary residence permit for school attendance is possible from the 9th class. For a pupil exchange, residence may also be enabled for lower class levels.

Attending school lessons does not entitle the student to a residence permit for this purpose.

Prerequisites

• Student exchange
  
  The temporary student exchange must have been agreed by a school exchange organisation, a non-governmental youth organisation, a German school or other public sector entity in cooperation with a school or public sector entity in the other country.
  Privately or commercially organised pupil exchanges are also possible.
• Type of school for a stay to attend school
  
  The school must be either
  

  • a public or state-recognised school with an international orientation or
  • a school which is not or is not predominantly financed from public funds and which prepares the pupils for international qualifications, qualifications of other states or state-recognised qualifications.

  For all types of school a student body consisting of pupils of various nationalities must be ensured (exceptions may be considered for so-called embassy schools).
• Consent of the parents
  
  Only if the foreign student is not yet of age
• Main residence in Berlin
• Personal appearance by appointment is required
  
  • To arrange an appointment, please contact the relevant units B 1 - 4 using the contact form (see section “More information”).
  • Please send your appointment request at least 8 weeks before your current residence permit expires.
  • For children under the age of 18, the application must be submitted by a responsible adult caregiver(e.g. host parents) authorized by the parents.

Documents required

• Form "Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels" (filled out)
  
  available in German, English, French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian
• Valid passport or passport substitute
• 1 current biometric photo
  
  Please note:
  

  • Since May 1, 2025, biometric passport photos may only be taken digitally at government offices or photo studios and transmitted via a secure electronic channel.
  • Please check the website of the Berlin Immigration Office (see “More information”) for the latest information in good time before your appointment.
• Certificate from school
  
  The certificate from the school must show the duration, the general conditions and any costs of the student exchange or school attendance.
• Agreement or contract for the student exchange (original)
• Proof of secure livelihood
  
  • Exchange students: written declaration by the host parents that accommodation, meals and pocket money will be provided.
  • School attendance without student exchange: blocked account at a German bank with a credit balance of 992.00 Euros for every month (e.g. 11,904.00 Euros for 12 months’school attendance) or submission of an undertaking by third parties on official notepaper or a declaration by the parents that support will be provided for the duration of the schooling (evidence of the parents’income and copies of passports are to be attached)
• Health insurance
  
  • Exchange students: travel health insurance will suffice. This must be valid for the entire time of the stay.
  • School attendance without student exchange: those persons holding statutory health insurance will have sufficient health insurance. Those students holding private health insurance must heed the nature and extent of their health insurance. (Please read the leaflet "Health insurance" for further information.)
• School reports
  
  These are not required for exchange students.
• Written declaration of consent of the parents
  
  • Minors under 18 years: A written notarized statement of the persons entitled to care must be presented.
  • Minors under 16 years: In addition, parents must appoint a responsible adult caregiver.

Forms

• Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels (Application for Issuance of a Residence Permit) - in German, English, French, Italian
• Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels (Application for Issuance of a Residence Permit) - in German, Greek, Turkish, Vietnamese
• Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels (Application for Issuance of a Residence Permit) - in German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian
• Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels (Application for Issuance of a Residence Permit) - in German, Serbian, Bosnian
• Information on adequate health insurance (leaflet)

Fees

• 100.00 euros: Adults
• 50,00 Euro: Minors
• Free of charge: Exchange students

For creating a digital passport photo at the self-service terminal on site: 6.00 euros

Legal basis

• Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 16f Abs. 1

Average time to process request

After the appointment, it takes approximately 4 weeks for the residence permit to be issued as an electronic residence permit and ready for collection.

More information

• Contact forms for making an appointment in units B 1 - 4 (Berlin Immigration Office)
• Digital passport photos for residence documents from 01.05.2025 (Berlin Immigration Office)

Notes on responsibility

This service can only be taken advantage of in the Berlin Immigration Office (Landesamt für Einwanderung – LEA) at Keplerstrasse.

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